During the last three a long time, Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan have been two of probably the most constant and bankable superstars of Hindi cinema. They’ve starred in a few of the greatest hits in Bollywood historical past, from Kaho Na Pyaar Hai and Krrish to three Idiots and PK. So it makes for fairly an absurd comparability when one learns that their lifetime assortment of hit movies is lower than what one actor managed in a single calendar 12 months, and that too, all in lead roles. This unthinkable feat was achieved by a famous person almost 4 a long time in the past, and he’s nonetheless going robust at this time.
The hero with 25 hit movies in a single 12 months
Within the Eighties, Malayalam cinema was going by way of a interval of change. After Prem Nazir had retreated to doing only a few movies, the trio of Soman, Jayan, and Sukumaran emerged because the ‘new superstars’. However Jayan’s loss of life in 1980 ended that run. Whilst Sukumaran and Soman continued to churn out hits, youthful stars vied for the highest place. The 2 prime contenders had been Mammootty and Mohanlal. The latter staked his declare in 1986, his annus mirabilis. That 12 months, Mohanlal appeared in 34 movies because the lead. To place that in perspective, Dilip Kumar did simply 52 movies in his whole 53-year profession.
Of the 34 movies Mohanlal made in 1986, 25 had been profitable on the field workplace. At age 26, he established himself as one of many prime stars of Malayalam cinema, a throne he’s but to abdicate. Until that time, he had been one of many many promising stars in Mollywood. However from then on, it was a diarchy the place he and Mammootty reigned supreme.
How Mohanlal’s feat compares to Bollywood superstars
Giving 25 hits in a single 12 months isn’t any imply feat. Aamir Khan, one of many prime stars in Hindi cinema historical past, has simply 21 in his whole profession (out of 44 movies). Hrithik Roshan, alternatively, has simply 15 in 27 movies. Even legends like Raj Kapoor (17), Manoj Kumar (19), and Rajendra Kumar (23) had fewer hits of their whole careers than Mohanlal’s 1986. Much more prolific Bollywood stars pale as compared. Akshay Kumar had 4 hits every in 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2013. Amitabh Bachchan had 5 hits in 1982, his peak. In reality, within the 12 months when Mohanlal gave his 25 hits, Amitabh, then the nation’s greatest star, solely had one launch.
Mohanlal’s latest profession
Mohanlal has continued to be on the prime of Malayalam cinema for 4 a long time, a fairly unprecedented feat. From 1986-2016, he was among the many trade’s prime grossers annually. After a sequence of misses within the late 2010s, Mohanlal returned to kind in 2019 with Lucifer, which grew to become the primary Malayalam movie to gross ₹200 crore. He additionally discovered success in Drishyam.
However the veteran reserved his finest for 2025. The 2 releases he has had up to now this 12 months – L2: Empuraan and Thuradum – have been blockbusters, each incomes over ₹200 crore every. Each movies have out-earned Salman Khan’s Sikandar and Ram Charan’s Sport Changer. Even at 65, Mohanlal is giving youthful superstars a run for his or her cash on the field workplace.